WO2001053221A1

WO2001053221A1 - Equipment for washing motor vehicles with recycling of the water

Info

Publication number: WO2001053221A1
Application number: PCT/IB2000/000044
Authority: WO
Inventors: Louis Bottigliengo
Original assignee: Louis Bottigliengo
Priority date: 2000-01-17
Filing date: 2000-01-17
Publication date: 2001-07-26
Also published as: AU1887100A

Abstract

Equipment (1) for washing motor vehicles (10) is described, comprising one or more washing tunnels (2) situated on ground (3) that is at least partly level, the said washing tunnels (2) being provided with devices (4s, 4n) for the manual or automatic washing of motor vehicles (10) by means of the ejection of water under pressure and/or the mechanical actuation of brushes. The equipment (1) is provided with one or more storage tanks (5) into which both the rain water from the said ground (3) and from the roof (2t) of the said washing tunnels (2) and the water used for washing the said motor vehicles flows, the said equipment (1) also being provided with means (11) for the filtration and/or purification of the water contained in the said one or more storage tanks (5) and with pumping means (6) capable of conveying the said water under pressure 4s, to those of the said devices (4s, 4n) which effect the said ejection of the said water for the purpose of washing the aforementioned motor vehicles (10).

Description

EQUIPMENT FOR WASHING MOTOR VEHICLES WITH RECYCLING OF THE WATER

The present invention relates to the field of equipment for manual or automatic washing of motor vehicles by means of the ejection of water under pressure (generally also partly mixed with detergents) .

This equipment, which is also generally called a "washing tunnel", normally comprises one or more tunnels located on predominantly level ground on which the motor vehicles that are to be washed are stopped and manoeuvred.

Existing equipment of this kind employs water for washing that comes from the water mains of the nearest town, and continuously consumes an enormous quantity of water which is discharged into the sewerage system after washing and so is lost irretrievably. This creates appreciable problems in all localities where washing equipment is installed, but it creates tremendous and practically insurmountable problems in the equatorial zone, where far less water is available, and for this reason its use is at times rationed and/or restricted to household consumption.

The present inventor thought that, if it were possible to recycle the water used for washing, after filtration and purification, and to use rain water from the land surrounding a washing plant, accumulated in storage tanks during periods of frequent and intense rain, there would be an enormous reduction, in some cases even elimination, of the consumption of water taken from the mains, with a great number of benefits for the economy and welfare of less affluent or less developed zones.

To achieve this aim, he has devised equipment for washing motor vehicles which is constructed so as to use the minimum amount of water, as well as offering the possibility of obtaining the energy required for the operation of the various electrically operated devices such as pumps, brushes, etc. by means of equipment of a kno^n type, for example consisting of photocells for trapping solar energy and using it in the form of electrical energy.

The subject of the present invention therefore consists of equipment for washing motor vehicles of the type described in the preamble of the attached Claim 1, characterized by what is disclosed in the characterizing part of the said claim.

A preferred embodiment of such equipment will now be described in more detail, which embodiment is to be regarded as neither limitative nor binding with respect to other possible embodiments that can be based on the teachings of the aforementioned Claim 1.

For the said description, reference will also be made to the accompanying figure, which shows the front view, with cross-section of the surrounding ground, of the said example of embodiment of equipment according to the invention.

As can be seen, the equipment 1 comprises one or more washing tunnels 2 (one only in the present case) , inside which motor vehicles 10 of any type and size are washed by means of known systems and equipment .

Each tunnel 2 is provided with washing booms 4s, for manual operation, from which water is ejected under pressure and, in some cases, with devices 4n, actuated electrically, which operate washing brushes (with or without ejection nozzles) in the case of automatic washing cycles. What has been described up to now corresponds to the current state of the art, whereas the rest of the description that follows below refers to the innovative technical characteristics of the equipment according to the invention. First of all, below the zone where, in each washing tunnel 2, the motor vehicle 10 to be washed is parked, there is a collecting and drainage pit 7, with a grating and/or openings at the top, into which, owing to the slope of the floor of the said tunnel 2, the water falling onto the ground during washing of the said motor vehicle 10 flows.

As in the case illustrated, at the bottom of the collecting and drainage pit 7 there can be a gully 7d in which mud and other dirt from the washing zone are deposited by sedimentation. (This gully 7d is emptied of its contents periodically) .

The water 14 contained in the said pit 7 travels through suitable pipework (see arrows E) , via one or more overflow discharges 7r, until it reaches one or more storage tanks 5 (only one in the case under consideration) from where it is then discharged, through the action of a pump 6, passing through equipment of a known type for its filtration/purification and reaching the ejection nozzles of the said devices 4n, 4s which perform the washing operation.

Both the rain water from the roof 2t of the washing tunnel and the rain water from the ground 3 (see arrows D) , which is sloped so that the water is directed into collecting channels 13e connected to the storage tank 5, is also caused to flow, by means of suitable pipework, into the said storage tank 5.

This water too, mixing in the storage tank 5 with the water 14 that comes from the collecting pit 7 described above, is then filtered and purified together with it and is conveyed by the pump 6 to the washing tunnel 2.

In cases where waters from different sources are to undergo different purification treatments depending on the type of impurities (for example, the rain water from the roof contains neither soaps nor large quantities of sand) , it is advisable to have several storage tanks (not shown) with as many different kinds of equipment for purification of the water contained in them.

For northern territories with high snowfall in winter, from where water that falls as snow on the ground 3 is to be recovered, the inventor envisages laying pipes 9n, buried a little way below the surface of the said ground 3, in which a fluid circulates (which fluid can even be the same water supplied to the equipment 1), maintained at a temperature even just a little above 0°C. (These pipes can also be replaced by conducting cables through which a current is passed so as to reach the said temperature by the Joule effect.)

This provides continuous and progressive melting of the snow which, on being converted to water on contact with the ground 3, flows away, following the same routes already described, into the storage tank or tanks 5.

With suitable dimensioning of the latter according to the territory, so as to provide a reserve of water proportional to the duration of the period of absence of rain expected for each territory, it is possible to provide washing equipment 1 according to the invention that is substantially self-sufficient in its operation and that does not draw huge amounts of water from the distribution network.

Especially in the case of territories located between the Tropics and the equator, i.e. for countries with high insolation and solar irradiation values, the inventor envisages the installation, close to the washing equipment 1, of equipment 12 of a known type, for example solar panels for heating the water and/or photovoltaic panels that are able to capture solar energy and convert it into the electrical power required to operate the pumping means 6 and, where present, the devices 4n that drive the brushes or the like. In this way it is possible to provide equipment that is completely self-sufficient, which saves electrical energy and does not draw water from the distribution networks. All the objectives that the inventor set himself are thus achieved by means of equipment according to the present invention.

Claims

1. Equipment (1) for washing motor vehicles (10) comprising one or more washing tunnels (2) situated on ground (3) that is at least partly level, the said washing tunnels (2) being provided with devices (4s, 4n) for the manual or automatic washing of motor vehicles (10) by means of the ejection of water under pressure and/or the mechanical actuation of brushes, characterized in that the equipment (1) is provided with one or more storage tanks (5) into which both the rain water from the said ground (3) and from the roof

(2t) of the said washing tunnels (2) and the water used for washing the said motor vehicles flows, the said equipment (1) also being provided with means (11) for the filtration and/or purification of the water contained in the said one or more storage tanks (5) and with pumping means (6) capable of conveying the said water under pressure to those (4s) of the said devices (4s, 4n) which effect the said ejection of the said water for the purpose of washing the aforementioned motor vehicles (10).

2. Washing equipment according to Claim 1, in which, below the zone where a motor vehicle (10) is parked for washing, there is a collecting and drainage pit (7) with overflow discharges (7r) communica ing with the said one or more storage tanks (5), and the surrounding ground is sloped so as to direct the rain water from the said ground and from the roof (2t) of the washing tunnel (2) to pipes that carry it into the said one or more storage tanks (5) .

3. Equipment according to Claim 2, in which, near the surface of the said ground (3), pipes (9n) are laid, in which a heating fluid circulates at a temperature above 0°C.

4. Equipment according to Claim 2, in which, near the surface of the said ground (3), conducting cables are laid, through which a current is passed so that they reach a temperature above 0°C by the Joule effect.

5. Equipment according to one of the preceding claims, provided with devices (12) for capturing solar energy, which are capable of heating the water that is used for washing and/or of generating the electric power required to operate the said pumping means (6) and the said devices (4n) for mechanically operating brushes .